Concordia 6, Sherbrooke 0: Speedy Men’s Soccer Team Too Much To Handle for Sherbrooke

Stingers Dominate Against Winless Sherbrooke Side

SportsOlivier Neven — Published October 14, 2019

Striker Alberto Correa started the scoring at the 15 minute mark with a finish after a low cross by Kyle-Vincent Garcia. Jorgen Ulloa-Aguilar followed it up with an impressive volley from outside the box.

Angus Legault followed up by potting two quick goals right before halftime. Simon Spénard-Lapierre and Syphax Djerroud added a goal each in the second half to bring the tally to six on the day.

The Stingers started strong, dominating the ball and building up play quickly. Playing with three centre-backs meant that wingers Legault and Garcia had the freedom to make runs out wide and supply the forwards with crosses.

“That’s the way we try to approach every game. [We go] with our wing-backs pressing high and making runs out wide,” midfielder Sean Holmes said. “We try to get the ball to them as often as possible so they can get crosses into the box to give us a chance to score.”

The Stingers also dominated in the middle of the park, where Holmes and Ulloa-Aguilar linked up consistently and made runs in behind the defence to make space for their teammates.

Playing with speed all over the field has been essential to the Stingers’ success this season, and was most evident on Friday night against a weaker opponent.

“We’ve got some great ability and skill in this squad, so we can play fast like we did tonight,” head coach Greg Sutton said. “The key has been confidence, and keeping it at a consistent level because we know we have a talented team.”

Although they didn’t see much action on the defensive side of the ball, the defensive line—led by captain Lester Gariba—was instrumental in moving the ball quickly up to the midfield and wingers in order to maintain the pressure on their opponents.

“I really love having time on the ball and leading the build up,” Gariba said. “As defenders, our composure on the ball is a big part of how we play and if we keep it this way in the next games, we’ll have success.”

With the score being 4-0 at the half, Sutton felt comfortable enough to sub off a couple of his starters.

“I was happy to see some of the guys who might not play so much get some good time on the pitch today,” Sutton said. “Everybody contributed the right way and had the right mindset when they stepped on the field, so it was a nice cherry on top for us tonight.”

By the end of the game, every substitute who started on the bench, including backup goalkeeper Keanu Ikete Bokana, was on the field.

With two tough games coming up against the top teams in the division, the Stingers are hoping to build on this win to get into the playoffs. They’ll have to win both games if they hope to guarantee a spot in the postseason, as they currently sit in the final playoff sport, two points ahead of McGill.

“We still have two games left and we’re not in the playoffs yet, so we have to keep our egos in check,” Gariba said. “All we can do is focus on preparing for what’s next and hope for the best.”

Concordia will host reigning national champions Montreal on Friday Oct. 18 at 8:15pm.